At an event that was especially organized, the pinnacles of Indian sports were honoured for their accomplishments over the previous few years. The celebration is customarily held on August 29 to recognize the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand’s birthday. However, the event was held on a different date last year as well. This time, Nir Bahadur Gurung, a proud Gorkha, has been conferred with a major award.
Nir Bahadur Gurung, an ex-military man in the Indian Army’s Gorkha Regiment, was awarded the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Para Athletics. He is the pride of the Gorkhas and North East India, which should be known to those of us who have never heard of him.
Numerous para-athletes in India regard Paralympian Nir Bahadur Gurung as their “motivational guru.” More than a hundred disabled athletes, especially those with Army histories, have been motivated by the 67-year-old to participate in parasports.
In the FESPIC Games, also known as the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, he won a Gold medal (Discus) in 2006 and a Silver medal (Javelin), a Silver medal (Discus), and a Bronze medal (Shot Put) in 2002.
We learn about Nir Bahadur Gurung from the extracts from Sanjay Sharma’s book, “Courage Beyond Compare: How Ten Athletes Overcame Infirmity and Adversity to Become Champions?”
When he was barely out of his teens, a bizarre accident caused tonnes of ammunition to fall on him with such force that his rifle also cracked, crushing his spine. But other than a brief period when he considered suicide, he decided to face life head-on.
The Story :
Nir was born on March 11, 1958, in Shillong, Meghalaya. His father served in the British Indian Army as a soldier. Nir was encouraged to enlist one day in December 1977 by his father’s younger brother, an Indian Army soldier. In July 1978, his training was complete, and Nir moved to Panagarh, West Bengal, where the regiment was reassigned. However, Nir was immediately dispatched to Shillong for an extensive driver’s training course.
However, Nir was in for a dark surprise from fate. The request to transport trucks loaded with live ammo to Hoshiarpur, located about 40 kilometres away, was made on January 13, 1983. Nir wasn’t operating the vehicle; instead, he was sitting inside with other soldiers, watching over the ammunition. The truck travelled through Chakkivan. The truck skidded on the hazardous icy surface as the driver lost control and the brakes failed since the road was bad and had a rock wall on the driver’s side when it came to the top of the hill.
The large ammunition crates, some of which weighed up to 300 kg, crashed on top of four men and quickly crushed their skulls. Nir survived but subsequently wished he had passed away. Two ammunition crates crashed on his spine, fracturing it, and he had fractures in both limbs in addition to a cracked and bleeding cranium.
The Impact :
His rifle was damaged and bent in two places as a result of the forceful contact. Nir (who was 25 at the time) passed out and awoke at the Pathankot Command Hospital. “I realised that my entire body was plastered. I was told I had eight major fractures. I was in constant, agonising pain and unable to move. I was not informed that my spine had sustained a complete injury, and because the plaster had completely covered my body, I was unable to feel much of it, so I was unaware that I would never be able to walk normally again,” Nir says.
Nir remained at the Lucknow Army Hospital for over two years, but he experienced nightmares every night. When he realised that it would be difficult to commit suicide in the hospital, he began to consider other options. Nir moved to the Pune Paraplegic Rehabilitation Center of the Indian Army thirty months after the tragedy and began creating a new life for himself.
“For all kinds of games, the army provided coaches. I knew I couldn’t learn to read and write, so I decided to use my strength by competing in wheelchair races instead. I, therefore, used the huge compound to race from one corner to the next,” Nir adds.
The Revolution:
He experimented with a variety of sports before taking up table tennis. He heard in November 1986 that the army will send a team to the Bombay National Sports Championships for Paraplegics in January 1987. He won the gold medal in the 100-meter race on his professional debut.
There was no turning back after that. Nir set several records on a national scale. He won 59 medals in track and field competitions from 1987 to 2010, including 33 gold and 25 silver. Wheelchair races and the three throws—the javelin, discus, and shot-put—are among the events. Nir desired to bring home medals from the Asian and global competitions for India.
The FESPIC Games:
Nir first became aware of the Far East South Pacific (FESPIC) Games in 1994. He made a promise to himself that he would take home a medal in his division at the 1999 FESPIC games in Bangkok. At least 100 shot put throws, 200 discus throws, and 200 javelin throws were performed each day. Nir missed the bronze medal in the discus throw by one place while placing fifth in the javelin. He knew it was now or never because the shot put lineup was the last.
22 individuals participated. He was in the running for a top-four spot after his very first throw. With just that one throw, he was able to earn a spot in the finals. He then improved his throw by 16 cm to move up to third place, earning him the bronze medal. Nir promised that he would win at least two medals at the upcoming FESPIC games in Busan, South Korea, as he saw the Indian flag being raised during the medal ceremony with joy and tears in his eyes.
As per Nir Bahadur Gurung, “For the country, I was ready to die. Only one participant challenged my javelin throw of 15.12 metres in the opening competition. But after six throws, I was still in second place and had taken home a silver medal. My throws in the discus were also very long; my best attempt after the sixth throw was 19.30 metres, which was good enough for a silver medal. My favourite shot-put was on the final day. The Chinese and Koreans were extremely powerful and took the lead throughout. I was the fifth athlete left when the final eight competitors were announced, and I still had three throws to make.”
In my panic, I erred by cutting the line during the first throw, which resulted in a red flag being raised. When it was my time again, I only threw 6.30 metres. I was still in fifth place, so this was disheartening. It was once again my turn. Now was the only option. My family and the goddess we revered back in Nepal sprang to mind. I prayed to the goddess for courage and to be granted that one chance to represent my nation with honour. And in true Gurkha fashion, I groaned and threw the iron ball with all of my might while uttering the battle cry.
I landed at 6.66 metres. My third silver medal was already mine. I had made history and given India pride in my little way. I had paid back my dues to both India and the Indian Army, which had taken such good care of me.”
Life after FESPIC:
The Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award selection committee, which was established by the sports ministry in 2021, recommended Nir Bahadur Gurung for it but was eventually turned down by the Ministry of Sports.
The Athens Paralympian was greatly wounded when Nir’s name was removed from the original list of awards following his last international competition in 2017.
“The selection committee chosen by the sports ministry suggested my name. The ministry later rejected it. It is unfair,” said Gurung from his paraplegic rehabilitation facility in Kirkee, Maharashtra, a town close to Pune. Gurung doesn’t have a family. He has considered Kirkee’s Paraplegic Rehabilitation Center home ever since he was forced to use a wheelchair in the middle of the 1980s.
On November 30, 2022, Nir Bahadur Gurung received the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Para Athletics. MP Raju Bista congratulated him on Twitter, saying,
